« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Chapter Seven: Housing
Social Focus on Deprived Areas
Housing
The SIMD housing domain aims to focus on direct measures of inadequacy of housing covering physical conditions, suitability and security of tenure. Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics work is ongoing to explore whether administrative systems are able to provide indicators at the data zone level for use in the SIMD. The index is not intended to include indicators on housing costs or affordability, instead the focus will be on direct outcomes such as overcrowding or homelessness which will pick up significant affordability problems.
In the interim, the current index uses two 2001 census indicators: the proportion of people living in housing lacking amenities and/
or lacking central heating; and the proportion of people overcrowded, defined as those living at levels above the occupancy norm.
The analyses included in this section explore the characteristics of housing in deprived areas and make use of survey data that provides estimates for aggregations of data zones but not individual data zones.
Key points
- The proportion of owner occupiers in the 10% most deprived areas has doubled from 14 to 28 per cent between 1991 and 2001.
- Just over seven per cent of all households located in the 10% most deprived areas are located on the fifth floor or higher. No households in the 50% least deprived areas live on the fifth floor or higher.
- The 10% most deprived areas have seen the most significant reduction in levels of vacant accommodation (from nine per cent to six per cent between 1991 and 2001).
- Across Scotland, 14 per cent of households are considered to be overcrowded using the Census occupancy rating, this rises to 29 per cent in the 10% most deprived areas.
- Across Scotland and in the 15% most deprived areas, some 87 per cent of households have full central heating.
- Across Scotland, some 80 per cent of dwellings have some kind of disrepair, and this rises to some 87 per cent of dwellings in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland.
- In the 15% most deprived areas, 44 per cent of homes had good energy efficiency, this compares to 31 per cent in Scotland as a whole.
- Between 2003 and 2004, house prices increased across all areas with the smallest relative increase in the 5% most deprived areas.
Tenure
Household tenure varies greatly between the most deprived areas and the rest of Scotland. In Scotland as a whole, 63 per cent of households are owned, 27 per cent are social rented, seven per cent are private rented and four per cent of households live rent free.
In the 15% most deprived areas, 32 per cent of households are owned and four per cent are private rented whilst 59 per cent of households are in social rented accommodation and six per cent are rent free.
As a result of Right to Buy there have been significant changes in the proportion of households that are owner occupiers and the proportion of households renting from the social sector. Not surprisingly the main changes have been in the areas with the historically high levels of social renting, with the proportion of owner occupiers in the 10% most deprived areas doubling from 14 to 28 per cent between 1991 and 2001 (Chart 7.1 and Table 7.2).
Chart 7.1: Owner Occupiers, 1991 and 2001Percentage
Source: General Register Office for Scotland (1991 and 2001 census)
Notes: It is possible that Census 2001 form-fillers on housing benefit may have ticked 'living rent free' in response to the Census question on tenure asking whether the household owned or rented their accommodation and this should be taken into account when interpreting these tenure statistics. It was found that over 40,000 households which rented from a social landlord, such as a local authority, Scottish Homes or a housing association, were included in this category.
Table 7.2: Household Tenure, 1991 and 2001
Row percentages | 1991 | 2001 |
|---|
Owner Occupiers | Social Rented | Private Rented | Owner Occupiers | Social Rented | Private Rented |
|---|
Decile 1 - Most deprived | 14 | 83 | 3 | 28 | 68 | 4 |
|---|
Decile 2 | 27 | 69 | 4 | 42 | 53 | 5 |
|---|
Decile 3 | 38 | 56 | 5 | 51 | 41 | 7 |
|---|
Decile 4 | 45 | 49 | 6 | 57 | 35 | 8 |
|---|
Decile 5 | 53 | 39 | 8 | 64 | 27 | 9 |
|---|
Decile 6 | 59 | 30 | 11 | 68 | 21 | 11 |
|---|
Decile 7 | 66 | 22 | 12 | 73 | 15 | 12 |
|---|
Decile 8 | 75 | 15 | 10 | 80 | 11 | 10 |
|---|
Decile 9 | 85 | 8 | 7 | 87 | 6 | 7 |
|---|
Decile 10 - Least deprived | 90 | 3 | 6 | 90 | 3 | 7 |
|---|
Scotland | 52 | 41 | 7 | 63 | 29 | 8 |
|---|
Source: General Register Office for Scotland (1991 and 2001 census)
Note: See notes on Chart 7.1.
Lowest floor level
Just under half of all households in the 10% most deprived areas are located in upper villas, block of fours, tenements, or high rise. Just over seven per cent of all household spaces in the 10% most deprived areas are located on the fifth floor or higher, while no households in the 50% least deprived areas live on the fifth floor or higher (Table 7.3).
Table 7.3: Lowest floor level of buildings, 2001
Row percentages | Basement or semi- basement | Ground floor (street level) | First floor | Second floor | Third or fourth floor | Fifth floor or higher |
|---|
Decile 1 - Most deprived | 1 | 53 | 22 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
|---|
Decile 2 | 1 | 67 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
|---|
Decile 3 | 1 | 69 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
|---|
Decile 4 | 1 | 75 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
|---|
Decile 5 | 1 | 80 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
Decile 6 | 1 | 82 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
Decile 7 | 2 | 83 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
Decile 8 | 2 | 85 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
Decile 9 | 2 | 85 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
Decile 10 - Least deprived | 3 | 83 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
Scotland | 1 | 75 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
|---|
Source: General Register Office for Scotland (2001 Census)
Vacant accommodation
A number of vacancies are necessary for the housing market to function. Between 1991 and 2001 vacant accommodation as a proportion of all household spaces has fallen across all area types. Although the levels of vacant accommodation remain highest in the 10% most deprived areas, these areas have seen the most significant reduction in vacant accommodation (from nine per cent to six per cent between 1991 and 2001) compared with the rest of Scotland (Chart 7.4). This may be a result of having a higher level of vacancies in 1991 and, therefore, greater scope for a reduction.
Chart 7.4: Vacant Accommodation, 1991 and 2001Percentage
Source: General Register Office for Scotland (1991 and 2001 census)
Overcrowding
The occupancy rating provides a measure of under-occupancy and overcrowding. For example a value of -1 implies that there is one room too few for the given composition of the household and that there is overcrowding in the household. The occupancy rating assumes that every household, including one person households, requires a minimum of two common rooms (excluding bathrooms).
The official measure of overcrowding requires information about number of bedrooms and composition of the household. The Census asks questions about number of rooms rather than number of bedrooms, and so is not the official measure, but the census occupancy rating is available at the data zone level.
Across Scotland, 14 per cent of households are considered to be overcrowded using the Census occupancy rating, this rises to 29 per cent in the 10% most deprived areas (Chart 7.5).
Chart 7.5: Occupancy rating: population living in overcrowded housing, 2001Percentage
Source: General Register Office for Scotland (2001 census)
'Persons per room' is sometimes used as a simple measure of overcrowding, and allows comparisons to be made between 1991 and 2001. Households living in the most deprived areas have a higher rate of persons per room, although these rates have fallen considerably between 1991 and 2001, which is in line with the changes in the size of households across Scotland.
Chart 7.6: Population living in households with more than one person per room, 1991 and 2001
Percentage
Source: General Register Office for Scotland (1991 and 2001 census)
Household amenities
The Scottish House Condition Survey estimates that 87 per cent of households in Scotland have full central heating and that the 15% most deprived areas have similar levels. A further eight per cent of Scottish households have partial central heating, and this rises to some 11 per cent in the 15% most deprived areas.
There were significant increases in the proportion of households having central heating and sole use of bathroom between 1991 and 2001. In the 10% most deprived areas, the proportion with central heating (and sole use of bathroom) increased from 65 per cent in 1991 to over 85 per cent in 2001 (Chart 7.7).
Chart 7.7: Households with amenities, 2001Percentage
Source: General Register Office for Scotland (2001 census)
Note: Amenities are central heating, sole use of a bath or shower, WC.
Disrepair and quality
Across Scotland, some 80 per cent of dwellings have some kind of disrepair, and this rises to some 87 per cent of dwellings in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland. In terms of critical disrepair, which is defined as disrepair to those parts of the dwelling which are central to the weather proofing, and/or its structural integrity, 57 per cent of Scottish dwellings are in critical disrepair compared to 61 per cent in the 15% most deprived areas (Table 7.8).
Table 7.8: Houses in disrepair: 2002
Percentage of houses | 15% Most Deprived | Scotland |
|---|
Estimate | 95% Confidence Interval | Estimate | 95% Confidence Interval |
|---|
Any disrepair | 87 | 83-89 | 80 | 80-81 |
|---|
Critical disrepair | 61 | 57-65 | 57 | 56-57 |
|---|
Scottish House Condition Survey 2002
With regards to the Scottish Housing Quality Standard ( SHQS), the 15% most deprived areas show no difference in overall failures compared to the national failure rate - 77 per cent of households fail one or more of the SHQS criteria (including full central heating, efficient heating, and effective insulation).
Scaled repair costs
The costs of making good visible repairs to the dwellings within the 15% most deprived areas are more expensive than the national visible repair costs. The median visible repair cost is £440 for dwellings within the 15% most deprived areas compared to the national median visible repair cost of £360 (revised national estimates are given in Housing and Disrepair in Scotland report).
Comprehensive repairs to dwellings in the 15% most deprived areas have approximately the same median repair cost as the national comprehensive repairs.
Energy efficiency
The National Home Energy Rating ( NHER) takes into account the local environment and the affect it has on the building's energy rating. The NHER calculates the costs of space and water heating as well as cooking, lights and appliances. In 2002, more homes in the 15% most deprived areas had good energy efficiency (44 per cent) than in Scotland as a whole (31 per cent) (Table 7.9). Public sector houses tend to be smaller and therefore easier to heat, and have also benefited most from energy efficiency programme improvements which goes some way to explain the better energy efficiency levels in deprived areas.
Table 7.9: Energy Efficiency, 2002
Percentage of households | 15% Most Deprived | Scotland |
|---|
Estimate | 95% Confidence Interval | Estimate | 95% Confidence Interval |
|---|
Poor | 5 | 4-8 | 8 | 8-9 |
|---|
Moderate | 50 | 46-55 | 60 | 60-61 |
|---|
Good | 44 | 40-49 | 31 | 31-32 |
|---|
Scottish House Condition Survey 2002
House prices
There is a clear relationship between concentrations of deprivation and house prices, with house prices decreasing as levels of concentration of multiple deprivation increase. In 2004, the mean house price in the 5% most deprived areas was £76,000, which was actually higher than in the 20% most deprived areas - this may be down to levels of redevelopment and right to buy sales. Within each vigintile (5% share) there is clearly variation, and it is expected that the variation of house prices in the 5% most deprived areas is higher than other vigintiles.
Between 2003 and 2004, house prices increased across all areas with the smallest relative increase in the 5% most deprived areas. Although the mean house price increased between 2003 and 2004, the total number of houses sold fell across all areas (Chart 7.10).
« Previous | Contents | Next »